Instagram is New Naaptol?

Instagram is New Naaptol?

Remember when Instagram was just for sharing aesthetic sunsets and badly framed food pictures?

Look at your feed today.

It is a nonstop barrage of:

This shampoo CHANGED my life!

Don't scroll! You NEED this productivity hack!

Swipe to see how I made ₹10,00,000 with ChatGPT!

Instagram is no longer a social network.
It has become Naaptol in Gucci shoes.

If you grew up in India, you know exactly what Naaptol is.

It was the OG teleshopping king. Overacted demonstrations, limited-time offers, and voiceovers screaming absolute urgency.

Today, on Instagram, creators are doing the exact same thing, just masked behind 60-second Reels and aesthetic Stories.

How the f*** did this happen?

Blame it on three things:

1. The Creator Economy Trap
Everyone is desperately building a "personal brand." But they aren't just creating content. They are selling courses, Notion templates, and 30-day gym plans. You aren't a follower anymore; you are a customer.

2. The Algorithm Demands Drama
Calm, genuinely helpful content flops. The algorithm only rewards loud, fast, and emotionally manipulative hooks. If you aren't screaming at the camera, nobody is watching.

3. The "Performative Value" Culture
People no longer offer real value. They *perform* value. They use aggressive cliffhangers to keep you watching, only to deliver absolute garbage at the end.

The irony is incredible.
Creators will look into the camera and say, "Don't fall for fake stuff online"... while actively selling you fake stuff online.

Instagram isn't dead.

But if everyone starts acting like a cheap 3 AM infomercial, the audience will start treating them like one.

Loud, cheap, and completely ignorable.

✍🏻 Mantra Joshi

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